GRAND MARAIS, Minn. — An employee of the Cook County Co-op has been arrested and faces attempted second-degree murder and other charges following a stabbing Saturday afternoon in the store.

Donovan Michael Vondall (Courtesy of the Cook County sheriff’s office)

Donovan Michael Vondall, 32, of Grand Portage, is accused of slashing the neck of a customer. The customer — Thomas Wayne Peterson of St. Paul — said the attack was unprovoked, according to the criminal complaint.

Peterson told Cook County Sheriff investigator Angelique Homan he noticed Vondall perspiring and looking at him in an agitated fashion just before the attack. As he pulled open the door to a refrigerated case, Peterson said he felt a “sharp punch” on his right jaw and saw the suspect holding a knife.

Realizing that he had been cut, Peterson said he began to run toward the front of the store in search of assistance, with his assailant in pursuit.

Vondall allegedly told Homan he chased Peterson with the initial intent to ensure his death. But he then retreated to the rear of the store, exiting through a staff entrance.

Vondall, who has twice been civilly committed to psychiatric care (once in 2012 and again in 2013), told police he had considered staying home that day “because he felt like hurting someone,” according to the criminal complaint.

A Cook County Sheriff’s deputy responded to the incident at 3:48 p.m. Saturday and found Peterson lying on the floor of the store with a bystander pressing bandages to his neck in an attempt to stanch the bleeding. Peterson was transported to North Shore Health for emergency care.

Homan interviewed Peterson at the Grand Marais hospital and noted that he had difficulty speaking, having “suffered nerve damage to the right side of his face, causing his face to droop and his tongue to feel partially numb.”

Arrested at home

Shortly after the incident, authorities received a call from the co-op manager, who was not on the scene, informing them that he had spoken to Vondall’s brother and was advised that the suspect was at home and waiting, unarmed, for officers to take him into custody.

Vondall was arrested without incident. His grandmother said he has schizophrenia and had not been taking medication to control the condition, according to the complaint.

Vondall reportedly told Homan he did not sleep well, “and it might have been from drinking vodka and White Claw.”

At the residence, authorities recovered a black fold-out knife with a serrated edge. Vondall confirmed the weapon had been in his possession, the complaint said.

When asked why he had targeted Peterson, Vondall reportedly told Homan he had seen the customer previously and considered him friendly, “but it was the look on (Peterson’s) face that day.” Vondall said “people staring at him is a trigger for him, and he also thought there was some racism happening,” the complaint states.

Community shaken

In addition to attempted second-degree murder, Vondall also faces charges of first-degree assault causing great bodily harm and second-degree assault with a dangerous weapon used to inflict substantial bodily harm.

Cook County Sheriff Pat Eliasen described Grand Marais as a small town “where these types of things typically don’t happen.”

“This level of violence has a lot of people shaken up,” he said, even though he noted there is no further threat to public safety.

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Joe Friedrichs, a local author and freelance journalist, said he and fellow residents were particularly taken aback by the setting and the timing of the attack, just a few days after Christmas.

“It makes people feel uneasy, especially given the fact that the co-op is so much more than a grocery store for our community. It’s a place for healthy, friendly social interactions. So, that juxtaposition in itself is just so alarming and unsettling,” he said.

Eliasen concurred but added: “A violent crime like this is horrific, no matter where it happens.”

Co-op management could not be reached for comment Monday. The establishment has remained closed since the incident Saturday, but it was slated to reopen Tuesday, Dec. 30, according to its website.